When You Least Expect It
by SOUND-Art
Summary: A Boeing 747 explodes midflight, on route to Australia. Booth and Brennan Bones are assigned to the case. The case leads to a little anger between them, just after they're becoming even closer friends. Will this end their friendship altogether?


The Boeing 747 glided along the runway almost easily, without hesitation. The engines thundered as it slipped off the runway, into the air. People at the airport lounges stopped what they were doing as the roar rumbled through the newly built modern glass airport. Within seconds, they resumed their normal activities as the sound died away.

* * *

On board the plane, people felt that sinking feeling that they always felt as a plane lifts off. A young child towards the rear of the aircraft started to scream, a piercing squeal that made other passengers shudder in their seats. The mother hushed the child, and a comfortable silence settled throughout the aircraft.

"Welcome aboard today's flight to Australia. The in-flight food service will begin in around 20 minutes," the intercom buzzed as the recorded voice repeated the information in Chinese, Japanese, French and German. People settled into their seats, as the plane drifted high above Washington D.C. Those in first class reclined in their chairs, happily smiling in comfort. Less fortunate others were already suffering in the cramped spaces of Economy, trying to make as much space between their legs and the seat in front of them as possible. In the cockpit of the plane, the pilot and co-pilot were sitting in silence, running a few safety checks. The plane shuddered as it hit some high turbulence, then was steady again. Passengers hardly felt it at all, and the cabin crew started to wheel the food trolley along the aisle. It was a late evening flight. People were tired. So were the security staff, and the cabin crew. In the rear cargo hold of the enormous plane, suitcases were packed tightly like sardines in a can. In one new black suitcase, one that looked as though it were made of reinforced metal, then covered with a light fabric, a tiny electronic device started to flash.

* * *

Special Agent Seeley Booth of the FBI sat quietly at his desk as he read an email that had been forwarded to him from Angela Montenegro, a friend of Temperance Brennan, or "Bones" as Booth called her. As he reached the end of the email, his face lit up and he burst into laughter, trying to stifle it into a fit of coughing when he noticed Lance Sweets was standing at his door.

"Laughing to one's self is one of the first signs of utter madness," Sweets commented as he let himself in.

"As much as you'd like to find out that I was, I wasn't laughing at myself, Sweets. I was laughing at an email Angela sent me. One which I forwarded to you three days ago, but it seems you haven't read it yet!" Booth said, trying to prove his continual point that Sweets didn't have a "life" and was more of a "workaholic" like Bones.

"So….why are you dropping by at my office so late at night? It is around 9pm, I was just about to go home." Booth said, grabbing his jacket and phone, before falling onto the couch to talk to Sweets. Sweets sat opposite him, leaning forward and sighing.

"I'm just having a bit of trouble with Daisy," he sighed, and Booth rolled his eyes at the mention of Sweet's girlfriend.

"She's gone all…strange," Sweets hesitated, carefully choosing words, "We went out for coffee this morning, and she complained about the issues she's been having with the bank for the _entire time _that we were out." He said, rubbing his face, which Booth recognized as a gesture of unstableness.

"No, no, no, wait a second here. I thought _you _were the psychologist here, not me." Booth said, with a nervous laugh.

"Well, I am. I've listened to my own advice before, but it did more harm than good," Sweets muttered as his watch started to beep.

"Great. I said I would meet me for dinner tonight, and I'm already late," he said, standing up from the couch and running to the door.

"Alright, Sweets! Just remember, talk about something that _she _is interested in. Something other than work." Booth smiled, as he stood up to leave after Sweets.

"Alright pal. Thanks," Sweets grinned, as he raced off towards the lift. Booth whistled absentmindedly as he switched of the office light and locked his office door. The lift arrived quickly, and as he stepped into it, his phone rang.

"Booth," he said, as the lift made it's way to the ground floor.

"Hey, it's Brennan," Booth smiled as he recognized her familiar voice.

"Bones! Want to grab a late coffee together at the Royal Diner?" he asked as the lift doors opened. He left the building, walking towards the black SUV which was currently in his possession.

"Sure, I was just about to ask you the same thing," she replied, as Booth started to drive through the busy late night streets.

"Great! I'll be there a min," he replied, as he drove quickly through the streets.

* * *

"Bones!"

"Sh! Keep it down, I don't want everyone looking our way," Brenna said with a smile.

"Sorry," he replied, a lot more quietly, "It feels like forever since I had coffee."

"Coffee contains energy, and if you haven't had coffee, you should not have enough energy to be shouting!" Brennan smiled, her face grinning with her 'scientific grin' as Booth saw it.

"Ugh. My mind is too tired to process that sentence right now. So…what did you want to talk to me about?"

"Nothing really," she smiled, "just felt like grabbing a coffee and having a good gossip."

Booth snorted. "You, gossip? I've never seen you gossip Bones! What's going on?"

"Sh! People change, don't they?"

"You're not 'people'."

"Haha, so _you're _people, and _I'm _not?"

"Look Bones, there's nothing wrong with being special."

"I'm special?"

"Very. Very special."

"Aw, that makes me feel so happy." Brennan laughed, as their coffees were brought over by a young girl, who must have been no older than 15 years old.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" he questioned, while stirring his coffee.

"Nothing really, just wanted to spend some time with you."

"You see me every day, Bones! What do you mean you wanted to spend some time with me?"

"I mean, away from work. Just a 'let's be friends' kind of thing." She stammered. Booth nodded in acknowledgement, he knew how anti-social Brennan was.

"Right. Anything planned for tomorrow evening?"

"No, not really. As long as there aren't any unsolved cases at the lab, I'll be free." Smiling, she started to stir her coffee.

"Okay. Want to grab some dinner tomorrow, together?" Booth asked. He knocked the coffee, by accident, and it splattered noisily to the floor.

"Great. Just great!" he shouted, wiping the coffee from the bench.

"Sh! Keep it down, alright?" Brennan whispered.

"And in answer to your question, I would _love _to grab some dinner with you tomorrow."


End file.
